This application claims the priority of German patent application 102 19 832.2, filed May 3, 2002, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein.
The invention concerns a method and apparatus for configuring control devices in a vehicle.
To reduce the great number of variants of control devices required for motor vehicles having different outfittings (that is, different combinations of components and equipment), control devices have been adapted by coding them to accommodate the various standards in a particular outfitting. For example, the control devices must be adapted to differing motor outfittings of the motor vehicles. For this purpose, coding data of the control devices are ascertained from a special database during the manufacture of motor vehicle variants, and written into the control devices during production of the motor vehicle.
If a control device is exchanged at a later point in time (for example in the event of a defect), the new control device must again receive a coding corresponding to the individual motor vehicle. At present, ascertaining and furnishing the coding data require an expensive and time-intensive process, for which special technical knowledge and detailed motor vehicle information are needed. The coding data ascertained are written into the new control device through an external diagnostic device. A further disadvantage of this process is that, in exchanging control units, customer-specific adjustments of the control device are lost.
The coding of control devices is generally accomplished by changing the parameter settings in the operating software or by exchanging whole program parts. The coding process therewith corresponds to a software engineering converted configuration process, so that coding and configuration can be equated in this context.
One object of the present invention is to furnish a method and apparatus for efficient configuration of control devices in a vehicle.
This and other objects and advantages are achieved by the method and apparatus in accordance with the invention, in which data for configuring the control devices for the various outfitting variations are filed in an outfitting variant control device of the vehicle. A particular controller transfers characterization information to the outfitting variant control device for configuration to accommodate the outfitting variant of the vehicle. The outfitting variant control device compiles the data to configure the particular controller using the characterization information and the data filed in the outfitting variant control device. The data compiled in this manner are written into the memory of the particular controller in order to configure it for certain outfitting variant.
The process of controller exchange in the workshops is simplified by the process according to the invention, which also saves time for the owner of the vehicle. Moreover, erroneous codings by the workshop are minimized since ascertaining the configuration data need not take place outside the vehicle.
Manufacture of the vehicle can also be simplified by furnishing the configuration data for the various outfitting variants in a controller of vehicle. The controllers installed in the vehicle during manufacture can be configured to specified outfitting variants using the particular controller.
The method and apparatus according to the invention are especially useful in motor vehicles, since the large number of outfittings as well as changes in outfitting motor vehicles increases enormously in the automobile industry.
A further advantage of the method is its tolerance for changes in the configuration data. A change or an omission of configuration data for a controller does not influence the configuration process. In particular the value of characterization information can be ascertained by means of depositing rules for configuration of controllers, although this is not filed in the outfitting variant control device.
Preferably the coding can continue to be used through external diagnostic devices.
A further advantage of the process is its capacity for redundant storage of configuration data of controllers, in a controller of the vehicle. In particular, the configuration settings adapted to the owner of the vehicle also remain preserved following the change in controllers, since these are redundantly stored in the outfitting variant control device. Moreover, the configuration data can be dynamically extended in that the configuration data from already coded controllers, not known to the outfitting variant controller, are also redundantly stored.
Preferably the configuration is conducted only in a safe operating status of the vehicle, thereby it is assuring that the controller to be configured is not in use, and can be configured by the outfitting variant.
Various possibilities exist for advantageously perfecting and further developing the theory of the present invention.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.